People who are fond of spicing up their food will also spice up their life by adding more years to it, a new study finds.
The large study published in The BMJ was conducted by researchers from Harvard's T.H. Chan School of Public Health together with the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, according to Forbes.
The seven-year study involved a large group of participants composed of 485,000 Chinese individuals who gave details about their dietary habits, particularly the consumption of spicy meals, alcohol, vegetables, and red meat.
The study did not include people who had a history of serious illnesses such as cancer, diabetes, and heart disease.
After seven years, researchers checked on to see if a relationship among diet, the risk of mortality, and disease exists.
Results showed that those who ate spicy food, particularly men, at least once per week have 10 percent less chances of dying within the seven years of the study compared to people who observed bland diet.
Furthermore, women who regularly ate spicy food saw a decrease of 12 to 22 percent in mortality risk. Eating spicy meals more than three times weekly saw the greatest reduction in risk.
Researchers also wanted to find out if there is a difference between eating fresh or dry chili and they found out that those who consumed the former have a reduced mortality risk from diseases like diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.
Chili peppers have an active compound known as capsaicin, which has been shown in previous studies to have several health benefits.
However, the large Chinese study was purely observational and there is no evidence that shows spicy food can reduce risk of death.
Researchers suggest that more studies are needed in order to establish an updated dietary advice.
Experts also recommend that just because the study shows link of spicy food and longevity, people should not start switching their diets.
